Ledger cabinet



Jan. 23, 1923.

R. W. MACDONALD. LEDGER CAB NET Fl LED JAN. l0, 1921 2 SHEETS-SHEET Patented Jan. 23, 1923.

N NITED STATES I PATanToFFicE.

ROBERT W. MAGDONALD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR` TO WUNDUR CABINET LEDGER COMPANY, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION `0I ILLINOIS.y

LEDGER CABINET.

Application led January 10, 1921. Serial No. 436,169.`

To ZZ fao/tom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERTr IV. MAC DONALD, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ledger Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a ledger cabinet such as is adapted to receive leaves or cards on which is contained any desired data; more particularly in connection therewith, it is concerned with certainimprovements in an adjustable'block adapted to support `the cards or leaves within the cabinet. 'Ihe invention is concerned also with other objects all of which will appear from the detailed description to follow, wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawing which shows an Aexempliication ot this invention in the manner `following:

Figure 1 is a. side elevation of the cabinet with one side wall removed; y

Fig. 2 is a transverse section therethrough taken on line 2-2 ot' F ig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof, with the side wall replaced; n

-Fig. l1 which illustrates a modified construction is a longitudinal section taken on line .AC- 4t of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

The cabinet or boX A shown in Figs. 1 3 may be constructed with a base 10 from which upstands ends 11 and 12 between which is a ixedside 13 and a removable side 14. rIt is preferred that the corners of the box `be reinforced as by means of angle plates 15, those which are situatedy adjacent the removable side 14 being secured to the ends only so as to provide outer stops therettor. Within the cabinet so `formed may be received a stack B of cards or leaves 16. In-

teriorl;Y ot' the box at each end may be ar to provide abutments for the stack of leaves or cards, so that they may incline either way, as desired, and also to provideinner stops for the removable side 14. i

I have provided within the cabinetan adjustable block C, usually termed the follower, which comprises a base plate 20 which is connected at its forward edge with a supporting Cplate 21 that extends upwardly andv rearwar ly to support the card stack,

`a brace block 22 being employed to maintain the two pla-tes in rigid relation. The base extends transversely from the fixed wall 13 to a rib 2 3 that is mounted along the bottom 1 0 adjacent the removable side 14, permit-` ting-the follower to be moved lengthwise of the cabinet between this rib and the wall 13 which afford guides therefor. Arranged upon the side wall 13 justabove the base 20 is a 'second rib 24 that acts to prevent tilting movement of the follower in the direction ot the side 14n of the cabinet. The supporting plate 21 is suitably cut away adjacent this rib for purposes yoi clearance, as clearly appears in Fig. `2. By slightly tilting the follower bloclr toward the side 13,`the opposite side ot the base is lifted suliciently to clear the rib 23 followinglwhich the block C may be shifted sidewise and be removed from the cabinet. It is to be understood, of course, that the block may be removed in this manner only when the side 14C is not in place.

The leavesor cards 16 which are'adapted to be used with a cabinet so constructed may` be of the rusual .kind with their lower ycornersbeveled as at 25, so as to clear the ribs 23 and 24. In addition, a lock rod 26 may be employed, if desired, being entered through suitable openings in the end blocks 17, and

assinO through an o enin 27 in each leaf e rl a as well as through `the follower block. l/Vhere such a rod is used, its withdrawal will, of course, have to take place ,before the `itollower block can be removed.

`Each of the leaves may also be notched at one or more places adjacent its bottom edge, as shown at 30 and 31 in Fig. 2. These notches have no function when the side 14 isin place, but when it is down or entirely removed from the cabinet, and the lock rod 26 is pulled out, any selected leaves or cards may be offset from the remainder' oi the stack by a distance sufiicient to present either of the notches 30 or 31 over the rib 23 which serves as a means of defining the extent of offset. When so positioned, the lock rod may be replaced to lock ythe leaf stack vwithin the cabinet, it being understood that appropriate additional openings 32, 33, etc., should be formed in each leaf to permit of the rod passing therethrough whenoffset to the distance predetermined by the notches.

The entire cabinet that I have shown and described herein may be formed of wood, and accordingly may be constructed at small expense. With the exception of the lock rod, the corner plates, and fastening devices, the parts may bemade with wood working machinery, andthe resulting structure will not only be light and strong, but'will be very serviceable `in providing for a cabinet an adjustable followerblock which may be moved lengthwise to any desired position to support the cards or leaves that are placed therein. Owing to thev feature of having the base plate 20 in underlying relation Ato the rib 24, the follower block is lprevented from tilting forwardly or backwardly and consequently derives therefrom all the necessary reinforcement for the work which it is called upon to perform.

In Figs. l and 5 is represented a similar construction of follower block used in a cabinet wherein the ends and sides are ixedlyf secured to the base. iiccordingly I havey applied-to the several parts of this cabinet reference numerals which correspond` with 'those used in the remaining figures. It will `be noted, however, that the bottom offthe cabinet is without any rib, as both sidewalls thereof co-operate with the base of the `follower block to guide its longitudinal movements. In this cabinet, however, I have shown the rib 26 which is secured tothe wall 13 as terminating at 30, so asto leave a gap between this end and the cabinet end `l2 of suiicient width to allow the follower block to' be lifted vertically from the cabinet whenever it is shifted to `end position therewithin. The dotted lines `in F ig. 4L indicate the block when moved near the end wall 12 in position for removal from the' cabinet. While the follower in this position is no longer subject tothe action of the rib 26 which preventsits tilting` forwardly or backwardly, the block is so close to the. end wall 12 as to derive support therefrom suiiicient for all purposes.

The invention which I have herein shown and described is one which is very simple in construction and use. It embodies the novel features of an adjustable follower block which receives support in a very novel manner and which may be removed from the cabinet with a minimum of effort. It is obvious, of course, that the invention may be embodied in forms other than the ones herein shown, so that in respect of any changes or modifications embodying the novel features hereinafter claimed, I desire -that the same be included within the scope of this patent.

I claim:

l. In a cabinet having a bottom, ends, and a single side secured together, an inwardly projecting ribl arranged upon the `side in 'spaced relation to the bottom, a follower having a base plate adapted to extend beneath the rib, the `follower being provided with upstanding means for supporting a stack of leaves, and other means for normally preventing lateral shifting of the follower whereby its base is retained beneath the rib to prevent tilting movement of the follower within the cabinet, substantially as described.

2. In a cabinet having end walls, a single sidetherebetween, and a bottom to which these parts are connected, means projecting inwardly from the side wall near the bottom but spaced therefrom, a follower within the cabinet adapted to be moved longitudinally thereof, a device o-n the Afollower engaged by said means for preventing tilting of the follower longitudinally within the cabinet, a second means uponv the cabinetA bottom adapted to co-operate with the follower to normally prevent lateral shifting thereof, whereby the follower remains engaged by the fir-st means, said means on the `cabinet betteln permitting the follower to tilt laterally and out of engagement with both of said means whereby the follower may be freely removed from the cabinet, substantially as described.

8. In a cabinet having a bottom, twoends, and a single side fixedly related thereto, a follower adapted for longitudinal movement within the cabinet,V guiding means adapted to retain the follower within the cabinet, leaves adapted to be stacked edgewise within the cabinet against the single side thereof, each leaf having a notch in its bottom edge arranged to co-operate with the guiding means to determine a definite distance of odset with respect -to the rejacent said side wall, means extending in? lower, and leaves adapted to be stacked within the cabinet with their side edges closely adjacent the cabinet side, the leavesv and inwardly extending means being :formed 'each totclear the other, substantially as de- Witness EPHRIAM BANNING. 

